Introduction

Environmental petitions process

3.1 The environmental petitions process is a unique way for Canadian residents to bring their concerns and questions about environmental issues to the attention of the federal ministers responsible and to obtain responses from them. It offers Canadians an opportunity to open a dialogue with their government. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development administers the environmental petitions process on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada.

3.2 The Commissioner posts summaries of the environmental petitions received on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada’s website in the Petitions Catalogue. The petitions and departmental responses are available on request in the language in which they were submitted.

3.3 More details about the environmental petitions process are provided in the Appendix. The Office’s website also provides more information about the process, and about the roles and responsibilities of the Commissioner and of federal government departments and agencies.

Focus of the report

3.4 The purpose of this annual report is to inform Parliament and Canadians about the number, nature, and status of petitions and responses received between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019, as required by section 23 of the Auditor General Act.

2018–19 Results

Petitions received

3.5 The Office of the Auditor General of Canada received 12 environmental petitions between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019. The petitions, numbered 418 to 429, originated from 5 provinces: British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, and Quebec (Exhibit 3.1).

3.6 This year, 12 federal departments and agencies received petitions. In many cases, a petition was sent to more than 1 department or agency. The 5 organizations that received the most petitions were

• Environment and Climate Change Canada—petitions 419, 420, 421, 425, 427, 428, and 429
• Natural Resources Canada—petitions 418, 419, 420, 421, 427, and 428
• Transport Canada—petitions 420, 425, 426, and 428
• Department of Finance Canada—petitions 419, 420, and 428
• Health Canada—petitions 422, 423, and 428

3.7 Key issues raised. The petitions addressed a wide variety of issues, including concerns about nuclear energy and the nuclear industry in Canada (petitions 418, 419, 421, and 427) and the use of the herbicide glyphosate (petitions 422 and 423). Concerns about national parks, hazardous waste, and plastic pollution in the oceans were among the issues raised in other petitions.

3.8 In some instances, the federal government has addressed and taken action on issues raised in environmental petitions. For example, petition 417, submitted in May 2018, raised concerns about a proposed new biking and walking trail parallel to the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. The petition questioned the rationale for the project in light of Parks Canada’s priorities. Although we could not make a direct correlation between the petition and Parks Canada’s subsequent actions, we noted that in January 2019, the agency announced that the proposed trail would not proceed, given the “concerns expressed over the potential environmental impact and high cost associated with the project.” The $65.9 million set aside for the project in Budget 2016 would be reallocated to Parks Canada’s other priorities.

Performance and responses of departments and agencies

3.9 This reporting year, 10 departments and agencies responded to 9 petitions submitted during the current (2018–19) and previous (2017–18) reporting periods. All of the petition responses were provided within the 120-day statutory deadline.

Administration of the environmental petitions process

3.10 Changing our approach to submitting and publishing petitions on our website. We have created an online submissions form to make it easier for Canadians to submit petitions. We have also streamlined the explanatory materials on petitions that are available on our website. To meet our legal obligations and other guidance from the Government of Canada, we have also made a few changes to the Petitions Catalogue. Information about petitions submitted over the past 15 years is available on request.

3.11 Communicating the petitions process to Canadians. We continue to use a variety of communications products to raise Canadians’ awareness of the petitions process. We have reached out to various organizations to provide information about the petitions process, answer questions, and provide advice on submitting a petition. For example, our staff delivered presentations on the petitions process to several university classes and to an international conference focused on Arctic issues. We have also continued our outreach to Indigenous organizations in Canada.

3.12 Improving how we help Canadians. We continue to survey petitioners after they receive responses from departments and agencies. By completing the surveys, petitioners can assess and comment on the responses, and they can opt to have their comments provided to the officials from those departments and agencies. In addition, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada considers petitions and the related responses when developing its multi-year performance audit program.

3.13 Improving how we help federal organizations. We continue to provide guidance to federal officials who respond to petitions and answer petitioners’ questions. We provide feedback to departments and agencies on petitioners’ survey responses regarding the level of petitioner satisfaction.

Period covered by the report

This report covers the period between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019.

Petitions team

Principal: Kimberley Leach
Director: George Stuetz

Perla Hernandez
Roxanne Lepage
Kris Nanda
Jason Waters